The FBI is warning election offices to be on the lookout after threatening letters containing suspicious substances were sent to the offices of multiple secretaries of state throughout the country.
A senior law enforcement official confirms elections officials in at least six states received packages on Monday, but so far none of the packages have been found to contain any actual hazardous material.
Secretaries of state, attorney general offices and state election offices in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, Wyoming and Oklahoma were targeted. The return address identified the sender as the “U.S.T.E.A.” — “US Traitor Elimination Army.”
In Kansas, the Secretary of State’s office was evacuated yesterday, as were offices in Iowa and Oklahoma.
In a statement, the FBI said it was “working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters. As this is an ongoing matter we will not be commenting further on the investigation, but the public can be assured safety is our top priority.”
In a joint memo Monday obtained by NBC News, the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service said, “Law enforcement is working diligently to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered.”
“The election community should remain vigilant and exercise caution when handling the mail,” the memo said. “All suspicious substances should be treated as potentially hazardous and must be handled in accordance with established safety protocols.”
There were no reports of injuries and the substances appeared to be non-harmful after testing, but the envelopes caused some of the offices to have to be evacuated, including Memorial Hall in Topeka, Kansas.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, the “unopened envelope was isolated in a separate area in our office in accordance with established protocols,” the secretary of state’s office said in a statement.
Those protocols included a multi-agency response involving the Nebraska State Patrol, Lincoln Fire and Rescue and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
“During their investigation authorities identified a substance in the envelope, which was tested and found to be non-hazardous,” the statement said.
Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen said, “The situation was quickly and safely resolved thanks to the swift action taken by our staff members, law enforcement and other first responders.”
The Wyoming Secretary of State’s office confirmed it received “a white substance in the mail” on Monday. “We take this very seriously,” Secretary of State Chuck Gray said. “We will continue to work with law enforcement in monitoring this situation.”
The Oklahoma State Election Board in a statement said it received a “suspicious envelope in the mail containing a multi-page document and a white, powder substance.” The substance was tested by a HazMat team and determined to be flour,” the board said.
In a statement, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate confirmed that his office also received a suspicious package and that first responders “determined there was no threat to our staff or the public.” He added, “We have now reopened our office and will continue to conduct normal business operations.”
The office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett also received a “suspicious envelope containing a powder,” said Doug Kufner, a spokesperson for Hargett. “Law enforcement and first responders assessed the situation. It was later determined that no threat to the staff or public existed, and the substance tested negative for hazardous materials.”
The mailings come as election officials around the country have complained of increased threats to their offices, with some pointing to false claims from former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was rigged as the cause of the spike. The envelopes sent out Monday went to offices in states Trump is expected to win in November.
The incident is also the second time in the past year that threats have hit multiple state election offices simultaneously. In November, officials in California, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state all reported suspicious letters addressed to election officers or workers that contained a suspicious powder.
In at least one of those incidents, the substance was tested and determined to be fentanyl, but no injuries were reported by the workers.
In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, cited the envelopes that had been sent to her colleagues. “We cannot tolerate threats to election officials and public servants,” she wrote.
Griswold’s office said they had not received any similar packages in the last 48 hours.
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